Damping-machine.



W. S. EATON.

DAMPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 1909.

Patented May 4, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

w. s. E ATON.

DAMPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 1909. L138fi95 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I I 11 w 8%i y U 0 v Atty I est:

Patented E[ay'4,l915.

WILLIAM s; EATON, or sac HAIR-BOB, N YORK, assienon TO AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, A conronarrolv or nnw YORK.

DAMPING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1915.

Application filed m 7, 1909. Serial No. 494,628.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. EATON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sag Harbor, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Damping Machines, of which the following is a specification, rcference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to damp ng machines, and more particularly to damping machines for wetting down or damping paper to be used in printing from under-surface and planographie printing presses.

The main object of the invention is to pro-- vide a machine wherein paper will be fed between oppositely disposed portions of previously-dampened, absorbent material in a manner to form a pile wherein the paper may be subjected for the desired length of time to the action of said absorbent material, thus minimizing the length of time required in forming the .pile and insuring uniformity in the condition of the paper after being so treated.

A further object is to provide a machine wherein the pile will be formed by the winding of absorbent material in a roll, and the feeding of the paper Within said roll as it is wound by the machine.

A still further object is to provide a machine wherein a stripof absorbent material, in a dampened condition, will be fed through the machine and about a bed roller adjacent to the feed shelf, in a manner to be free from wrinkles and creases thus avoiding the wrinkling or creasing of the paper while it is being fed toor is contained within, the roll of absorbent materal.

A still further object is to provide a machine wherein the paper, as it is Wound within the roll of absorbent material, will;be subjected to such slight pressure, as to not only secure the desired intimate contact of the paper and the absorbent material, but to express a small quantity of moisture'therefrom, bringing it to the surface where it will be readily absorbed by and forced into the paper itself.

A still further object is to provide a machine of this character embodying therein means whereby if desired a damp'ingagent may be supplied to the strip of absorbent material while it is passing through the feeding mechanism whereby machine, to replace the moisture taken therefrom during previous damping operations, and all moisture in excess of that required in the strip will be expressed therefrom before it passes to the bed roller adjacent to the feeding shelf.

A still further object is to provide means wherein the rewinding roll will automatical ly adjust itself to the variance in the diameter thereof due to the continued operation of the machine and will always have a peripheral velocity equaling that of the bed roller.

A still further object is to provide a machine wherein after the strip of absorbent material has been entirely rewound, it may be readily removed'from its position rela: tive to the ,bed roller, and from the machine itself.

A still further object is to provide a machine of this character embodying therein a sheets of paper may be automatically fed relative to the bed roller in order to increase the capacity of the machine, to insure .all sheets being fed perfectly straight and flat relativeto the bed roller, and to limit the numoer of sheets fed to one at a time in order that each sheet may have the opposite sides thereof simultane ously subjected to the action of the absorbent material being wound.

A still furtherobject is to provide a machine wherein the speed of rotation of the bed roller will be synchronized with that of the sheet feeding mechanism to prevent the wrinkling of the paper as it passes upon said bed roller and within the roll ofabsorbent material. And a still further object is to provide a machine wherein the mechanism will be driven atthe same speed, as to the peripheral velocity, as that of the redamping .roller and the bed roller.

The invention consists in the novel fea tures of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and described and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof Fig. 3 is a detailed view showing the manner of attaching the forward end of the damping strip to the rewinding reel, and, Fig. 4 is a detailed View of the delivery end of the feeding mechanism.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the form of my invention' illustrated in the drawings, the frame of the machine A has mounted therein a main driving pulley B, driven from any source of power as the motor pulley O. Ke ed to thevsame-shaft as the driving pulley is a gear D meshing with the gear E, through the shaftE' of which all of the various mechanisms of the machine are driven. At one end of the frame A at opposite sides thereof are lugs F, having bearings therein for the arbor of the spindle carrying the roll of damping cloth. Mounted on suitable standards of the frame A are pivotal arms H H the outer end of each of which respectively has a bearing for the arbor of the spindle carrying the rewound strip of damping-cloth,

said bearing being provided with a removable cap, as shown in the drawings, to facilitate the removal of the spindle after the pile has been formed and a fresh spindle. The top of the frame A also carries a pluralit of rests J distanced from the standards so as to receive the arbors of the damping roll spindle when the arms H H are turned over and permit same to roll from its bearings in the said arms, when theremovable cap to the bearing is removed. The rests J are forked as shown in the drawings to retain the spindle and the roll-thereon after it has been removed from the arms H. The dotted lines extending from the standards G to the rests J in Fig. 1 indicate the mode of operation above referred to.

Mounted on the shaft E is a bed roller 5 having a continuous surface which may be of any desired material. Preferably this cylinder is provided with a surface adapted to frictionally engage the-strip of cloth or other damping material such as rubber or felt, this roller having the function of drawing the cloth from the rollover the rollers 7 and 8, tensioning it, and rewinding it upon the spindle 6 through the frictional engagement of the roller with the rewound cloth.

this engagement also having the function of applying pressure to the cloth being wound and the paper between it and those portions of the cloth already wound upon or about the spindle 6. This roller extends entirely across the machine within the frame and is positioned directly below the outer end of the arms H, H and so that these arms will bring the spindle 6 upon which the cloth is rewound, and the cloth woundthereon, into frictional engagement with a substantially vertical radius of this roller. 'tween the bed roller 5 and the bearings in the lugs F are a plurality of guiding and tensioning rollers 7, 8 over which the strip of cloth or other damping material passes from the roll in said bearings to the said the siibstitution of Disposed be- 7,38 also aid in keeping the cloth perfectly flat anderelieve the roll of damping cloth to a certain extent'from direct strains from the'bed roll. Supplementing that action of the rollers 5 and 8 and thetension on the cloth tending to lay the cloth perfectly flat before it passes about the bed roller 5, is a spreading roller 9, the surface of which is provided with oppositely pitched spiral ridges or threads passing around this roller and extending in opposite directions from the center thereof, the pitch of the said ridges or threads having the function of drawing the cloth laterally toward each side of this roller just as it passes to the bed roller 5 thus creating alateral tension on the cloth' which will take out any creases extending lengthwise of the -cloth due to the tensioning thereof between the bed roller and the reel 10. The spreading roller 9 is of larger diameter than the rollers 7 and Sand its bearings being on substantially the same plane as the bearings of the said other rollers, the cloth will be tensioned on both sides of the roller 9 so as to insure the desired intimate contact between it and the cloth passing thereover. I

The spindles l0 and 6 carrying respectively the wound damping cloth, and the rewound cloth, form no permanent part of the machine, being removable and interchangeable in order to facilitate the mounting of a fresh roll in the machine and the removal of the rewound roll containing the paper, and its installation in a frame near the press to permit the removal of the paperby the pressman or his assistant at the press as it is required.

In order to avoid the presence of slack between the roller spindle 10 and the bed roller 5, due to the over running of the spindle 10, I mount a friction disk 11 upon said spindle and pass around same a friction band 12. To facilitate the removal of the band 12 from the disk 11 and also afford a variable resistance which will automatically adapt itself to the speed of rotation of said disk, I arrange a spring 13 in said friction band between the disk 11 and the stud 14c to which the ends of the band are attached. This spring will thus regulate the frictional resistance to the rotation of the disk 11. and will prevent the development of any such slack in the band 12 ,as will vary this resistance.

The machine shown in the drawings is designed for damping single sheets of paper and a feed shelf 15 is provided from which the paper is fed to the bed roller 5. If desired, the sheets may be fed directly from the shelf 15 to the bed roller 5, and the rewinding spindle, but preferably, 1 provide a feeding mechanism which will not only have the function of feeding the paper to the said bed .roller properly lined up and perfectly flat, but also properly distanced from each other, in the folds of the rewound cloth, so as to avoid the overlapping 'of the sheets of paper when so wound into the roll of cloth, or their being spaced apart to an extent which would tend to limit the capacity of a roll of a given dimension. This feeding mechanism comprises an endless carrier belt 16, passing around a roller 17 mounted in bearings 18 adjacent to the shelf 15, which bearings are adjustable for the purpose of taking up slack in the belt. Mounted in suitable bearings adjacent to the bed roller 5, is a roller 19 opposite to and parallel with roller 17, over which the belt 16 passes. This carrier belt 17 is driven at a speed substantially equal to the peripheral travel of the roller 5, through a gear 20 car-- ried by the said bed roller, a pinion 21 carried by the roller 19, and an intermediate idler pinion 22 in mesh with the gears 20 and 21 respectively. Extending from a point slightlybelow a line tangential to the upper vertical radius of the bed roller 5, and the roller 19, is a bridge plate 23 across which the sheets of paper pass as they are delivered from the belt 16 to the dam ing cloth passing about the roller 5. bridge plate is provided-solely to prevent the forward edge of the paper dropping from the discharge end of the belt 16, the conditions of use of this machine, especially when damping paper for multi-color work being such as to prevent the paper retaining sufficient of that elasticity inherent thereto to support the forward edge of the sheet and cause it to engage the bed roller at the proper point.

Mounted above the belt 16 are a plurality of oppositely disposed, parallel rollers 24, 25, one of which, as 2 1, is mounted in rocking frames 26 whereby said roller, through gravity, is maintained in substantial contact with the belt 16. Passing about the rollers 24, 25 are a plurality of endless cords 27 spaced apart as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, which cords are adapted to engage the upper surface of the paper sheets being fed to the bed roller 5 and hold them perfectly flat in their transit from the shelf 15 to the said bed roller. The rollers 24 and 25 are idlers and are driven by the belt 16, through the paper sheets passing between this belt and the cords 27. The rocking frame 26, in addition to securing the desired intimate relation between the cords 27 and the belt 16, will automatically take up slack and tauten the cords 27.

The feeding mechanism as heretofore described, will serve to feed the paper perfectly fiat and may be used without any other mechanisms, the skill of the operator being relied upon to feed the sheets perfectly straight, and at intervals which will insure his the proper distancing ,of the consecutive sheets in the roll as it is wound, and the proper positioning of the sheets in the roll to secure the desired exposure of each sheet to the action of the damping cloth, and the convenient removal of each sheet by the Pressman or his assistant when it is removed from the pile and passed through the press. I prefer, however, to provide mechanical means for truing 'or lining up each sheet of paper as it passes from the feed shelf to the bed roller, which mechanism may also gage the forward edge of each sheet of paper by said belt toward the bed roller 5. The bar 28 is given timely reciprocation towardand from the belt 16, relative to the peripheral travel of the bed roller 5, to raise and lower the fingers 29 alternately and permit one sheet at a time to be fed at predetermined intervals beneath the fingers, and hold back the following sheets until the next sheet Wlll be spaced the desired distance away from the one just wound. This mechanism consists of a cam 30 mounted upon the frame of the machine adjacent to the bar 28 which cam has a plurality of peripheral falls and rises 31 therein one of which is shown in Fig. 4 The bar 28 carries a pawl 32 adapted to engage the surface of the cam 30 and follow the fall and rise 31 so as to momentari'ly lift the fingers as the pawl passes into the recess between the falls and rises 31. A spring 33 attached to an arm 34 carried by the bar 28 tends to normally force the pawl 32 into engagement with the cam 30, thus causing said pawl to, not only cause the fingers to lift in the manner described, but limit the pressure exerted by these fingers and avoid any such excessive pressure as would prevent the free movement of the sheets thereunder.

To synchronize the movement of the fingers 29 with the operation of the bed roller 5, I drive the cam 30 from a gear 35 mounted on the shaft E which carries the bed roller 5, and entrained gears 36, 37 and 38 between the gear 35 and the gear 39 carried by the cam 30. The gear system above referred to may be laid out with relation to the relative size of the cam 30 and the bed roller 5, the number of falls and rises 31 in said cam, and the relative sizes of the gears 35 and 39, and said cam may be made to turn once or any number of times with each rotation of the roller 5, the number of rotations being immaterial and governed entirely by the number and location of the falls and rises 31 and the relative proportions of the different gears in the train.

Carried by the spindle 10, is a stri 40 of dampened, absorbent material, pre erably cotton duck or twill being used because of its quality of not giving up moisture too freely under compression and therefore retaining it for a considerable period. This strip is passed over the roller'i, under the roller 8, over the spreading roller 9, to and' about the bed roller 5, the free end thereof being secured to the spindle 6 so as to cause the said strip to be wound upon said spindle in a manner to permit the sheets to be fed thereto as it is being wound; By this construction the paper may be wound Within the strip, as it, the strip is wound upon the spindle 6, and the pressure at the point of frictional engagement between the spindle 6 and thestrip being wound thereon and the bed roller, will not only cause the strip to be wound compactly .on the spindle, but will exert apressure directly upon the paper as it enters the roller which pressure will remain substantially constant after the strip has been entirely wound. Anv desired means for securing the free or forward end of the strip to the rewinding spindle 6 may be used, and I have shown in Fig. 3 a. securing means consisting of a recess in the spindle into which the cloth is adapted to be forced by a rod 41. The said rod isheld in place by the cloth subsequently wound upon the spindle. This arrangement affords a temporary means of attachment which will permit the entire cloth to be removed from the spindle 10, so as to permit the wound pile of paper and strip to be removed from the damping machine to a rack, for storage, or adjacent'to the press.

The cloth 40 before it is wound upon the spindle 10, or the spindle carrying the roll as distinguished from the wound pile, is thoroughly saturated with damping fluid and passed through pressing rollers so as to express the greater part ofthe moisture therefrom, leaving the strip in a thoroughly, but uniformly, dampened condition. The amount of moisture retained in the strip is not great, but experience has demonstrated that even with this small percentage of moisture, the strip may be used several times without being redampened. To avoid the necessity for passing the strip through a bath which would entirely saturate it, and subsequently expressing excess moisture therefrom when it is necessary to renew' the moisture therein, I provide a' redamping mechanism between the spindle 10 and the bed roller 5 which will apply a small quantity of moisture uniformly throughout the entire strip as it is passing through the machine and in conjunction therewith, provide a presser roll which will express any excess moisture from the strip and at the same time, distribute the moisture applied, thereto uniformly throughout the strip itself. Preferably this damping mechanism consists of a tank 42 adapted to contain water or other damping fluid which tank is positioned adjacent to the bearings for the spindle 10..

roller 43 is a presser roller 46 its bearings.

being adjustable radially of the said spreading roller. The bearings of the roller 46 on opposite sides of the machine are supported on adjustment screws 47, the stems of which screws carry respectivel sprocket wheels 48 connected by a sproc et chain 49, thus causing uniform action of both adjustment screws and resulting in the application of equal pressure along the entire line of peripheral engagement between the rollers 43 and 46. Suitable hand wheels 50 are provided for actuating the sprockets 48. The spreading roller 43 is driven at the same peripheral velocity as the bed roller 5, and the rotation thereof is synchronized with that of said bed roller 5 by being driven from a ear carried by the shaft of said bed roller. he driving mechanism for said roller 43 consists of a bevel gear 51 carried by the shaft E, a bevel gear 52 carried by the shaftof the spreading roller 43, and the shaft 53 carrying the gears 54 and 55, meshing respec tively with the bevel gears above referred to. By the mechanism above described, the moisture removed from the strip in dampingthe paper may be restored thereto each time the strip is passed through the machine, or if the condition of the strip is such as not to require a fresh supply of the damping agent,

the strip may be passed around the redamping mechanism as indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The operation of the herein described machine is substantially as follows :The spindle 10 carrying the strip is mounted in the bearings in the lugs F and the free end thereof passed over the roller 7, under the roller 8, over the spreading roller 9, and about the bed roller 5, to the spindle 6 to which it is secured by the rod 41 or any other desired means; or if desired, it may be passed under the roller 45 between the rollers 43'and '46'before being passed about the guide roller 7. When the machine has been so threaded, several turns are given to the spindle 6 to take up slack and provide several layers of the strip upon said spindle,

to the roll as it is being wound, to the action of the previously dampened strip. The power bemg turned on, the roller 5 is turned toward the spindle. 6 in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 1, the movement of said roller tensioning the strip throughout the entire machine and exerting a pressureupon the shelf 15 upon the endless carrier 16 which is,

driven, from the gear 20 so as to convey the sheets toward the bed roller 5. The sheets may be fed one overlapping the other. As each sheet approaches the fingers 29, it passesunder the cords 27 which hold it perfectly flat, even' after the forward-edge thereof has contacted with the said fingers29. The engagement of the sheet of paper with the fingers 29 will retard its movement with the belt 16 until the entire forward edge thereof is trued or lined up relative to the fingers 29. This'is accomplished without buckling or wrinkling the paper in any way, owing to the presence of the cords 27 above the paper. When the paper has been so trued up, the fingers are raised in the manner heretofore referred to, permitting the sheet to again advance under the control of the conveyer, 16, the fingers 29 immediately descending and arresting the progress of the following sheet, while permltting the preceding one to pass upon the bridge plate 23 and upon the strip passing about the roller 5.

As the strip passes upon the roller 5, the forward edge thereof will be carried into the roll being formed upon the spindle 6, the said paper receiving positive pressure along the point of lineal contact between the bed roller 5 and the roll upon the spindle 6. At

this pointthe pressure will tend' to force the moisture from the body of the strip to the surface thereof and the lineal contact will serve to subject every minute portion of the paper to this pressure and to the action of the moisture forced to the surface of the strip thereby.

The tension under which the strip is fed to the machine will have the effect of aiding in securing the desired pressure at this point, and also in smoothing the strip, a matter of considerable importance as the formation of wrinkles in the strip would not only prevent -the paper being subjected to the strip uniformly throughout, but would form creases or wrinkles in the paper which would interfere with the imprint subsequently taken.

The tensioning of the cloth along the warp I thereof or of the weft either, for that matter, might have the tendency to wrinkle the strip particularly if slack is formed therein, and to avoid this I use the spreading roller 9 acting along lines parallel to the axis of the bed roller 5 for the purpose of taking out' any such longitudinal creases or wrinkles.

The action of the fingers 29 through the timely reciprocation of the bar 28 by timing the final feeding movement of each sheet, will serve to distance these sheets apart within the wound pile. If desired, however, the machine may be entirely hand fed although the automatic feeding mechanism the strip being wound and the constant pres-' sure on said strip through said roller, avoids the necessity for a variable speed driving mechanism for the spindle, and an automatical take-up driving mechanism for same.

As the wound pile approaches completion, the rear end of the strip is disengaged from its spindle 10 and is wound about the roll upon the spindle 6, serving to form a protecting sheatfing for said roll, the several laps avoiding evaporation from that portion of the strip acting upon the paper wound within same. When so rewound, the arms H H are turned completely over until the ends of the spindle 6 enter and rest upon the forks J. When they are so positioned, the

removable cap in the bearings at the ends of the arms H H is removed permitting the spindle 6 to escape from said bearing and rest in the forks J. From thence the roll may be placed in any convenient rack, and permitted to stand for 15 minutes to half an hour to insure the proper amount of moisture being absorbed by the sheets of paper. When the paper is fed, the entire wound pile is removed to a suitable rack adjacent to the press, and is unwound, one sheet at a time being removed therefrom and passed throughthe press.

I have found that a damping machine such as I have described will satisfactorily dampen paper in from 15 minutes to half an hour, bringing it to a state which under the old practice would require from 24 to 48 hours. I have also found that the paper as it is removed from the wound pile is uniformly dampened throughout and is in condition to be passed directly through the press, notvbeing wrinkled, dry, or partially by winding paper within a roll of previously dampened absorbent material, and I intend to claim such broadly. It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the accomf it being apparent that anying drawings p be accomplished by the same results may "arying such construction, preserving all the functions and not departing 1n any substantial manner from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to have protected by Letters Patent, is

1. In a damping machine, the combination with dampened absorbent material, or means winding said material into a roll, means whereby paper may be fed. upon and wound within said roll as it is wound and means whereby said roll will be subjected to pressureas it is being wound.

2. In a damping machine, the combination with a strip of dampened absorbent material, of means winding said material into a roll and means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said roll as it is wound and means whereby said roll will be subjected to pressure as it is being wound. a

3. In a damping machine, the combination of a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle upon which said strip may be wound, means rotating said spindle and exerting a pressure on the material thereon, and means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is wound upon said spindle. v

4. In a damping machine, the combination of a strip of dampened absorbent mate-- rial, a spindle, upon which said strip may be wound, means rotating said spindle, means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is wound upon said spindle, means tensioning said strip as it is wound whereby pressure is exerted on the wound strip and on the paper therein contained, and guides between said spindle and said tensioning means.

5. In a damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, a strip of dampened material, a spindle mounted above and in frictional engagement with said bed roller, upon which said stl ip may be Wound, means rotating said bed roller whereby said spindle is rotated'and means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is wound.

6. In a damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, a spindle mounted in adjustable bearings above said bed roller,

whereby said spindle will engage said roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, said strip being passed about saidroller and attached to said spindle, means rotating said roller whereby said strip will be wound upon said spindle and means whereby paper maybe fed upon and wound within said strip as it is so wound.

7. In a damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, 2. spindle mounted in automatically adjustable bearings above said bed roller, whereby said spindle will engage and be frictionally driven from said roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, said strlp being passed about said roller and attached to said spindle, means tensioning said strip as it passes to said roller,v

means rotating said bed roller whereby said strip will be wound upon said spindle and means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is being wound under pressure and in tension.

8. Ina damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle carrying said strip mounted on one side of said bed roller,

a rewinding spindle mounted in automati cally adjustable bearings above said bed roller whereby said spindle will engage and be frictionally driven from said bed roller, said strip passing from its spindle about said bed roller, and having its forward end secured to said re-winding spindle. means rotating said bed roller whereby said strip will be wound upon said re-winding spindle means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is being so wound, and a resistance acting on the spindle carrying said strip, whereby said strip will be in tension from said last mentioned spindle to said rewinding spindle.

9. In a damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle carrying said strip, mounted on one side of said bed roller, guide rollers between said spindle and said bed roller, a rewinding spindle mounted in automatically adjustable bearings above said bed roller whereby'said spindle will engage and be frictionally driven from said bed roller, said strip passing from its spindle in engagement with said guide rollers, about said bed roller, and having its forward end secured to saidrewinding spindle, means rotating said bed roller whereby said strip will be wound upon saidrewinding spindle, means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is being so wound and a. resistance acting on the spindle'carrying said strip, whereby said strip will be in tension from said last mentioned spindle to said rewinding spindle.

10. In a damping machine, the combinationof a bed roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle carrying said measles strip, mounted on one side of said roller, guide rollers between said spindle and said bed roller, pivotal arms mounted above said bed roller, said arms having bearings in the outer ends thereof positioned above said bed a roller, a rewinding spindle mounted in said arms, whereby said spindle will engage and be frictionally driven from said bed roller, said strip passing from its spindle into engagement with said guide rollers about said bed roller, and having its forward end secured to said rewinding spindle, means rotating said bed roller whereby said strip will be wound upon said rewinding spindle, and paper may be wound within said strip as it is being so wound and a resistance acting on the spindle carrying said strip, whereby said strip will be in tension from said last mentioned spindle to said rewinding spindle.

11. In a damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle carrying said strip, mounted on one side of said roller, guide rollers between said spindle and said bed roller, pivotal arms mounted above said bed roller, said arms having hearings in the outer ends thereof positioned above said bed roller, said bearings having a removable cap, a rewinding spindle mounted in said arms, whereby said spindle will engage and be frictionally driven from said bed roller, said spindle passing "from its spindle into engagement with said guide rollers about said bed roller, and having its forward end secured to said rewinding spindle, means rotating said bed roller whereby said strip will be wound upon said rewinding s indle, and paper may be wound within sai strip as it is being wound, a resistance acting on the spindle carrying said strip, whereby said strip will be in tension from said lastmentioned spindle to said rewinding spindle, and forked members positioned adjacent to the bearings of said arms-on the side thereof opposite said bed roller, whereby the wound pile and its spindle may be discharged from its bearing and supported by said forks.

12. In a damping machine, the combination of a strip of dampened absorbent ma-' terial, a spindle upon which said strip may be wound, means rotating said spindle, means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is wound upon said spindle, means tensioning said strip tangentially of said spindle, as it is wound,

whereby pressure is exerted-on the wound.

strip and on the paper therein contained, and means spreading said strip laterally to remove folds or creases therefrom.

13. In a damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle carrying said strip mounted on one side of said bed roller,

a rewinding spindle mounted in automatically adjustable bearings above said bed roller whereby said spindle will engage and be frictionally driven from, said bed roller, a spread ng roller between said first mentioned spindle and said bed roller whereby creases or folds are removed from the strip, sald strip passing from its spindle into engagement wlth said spreading roller and about said bed roller and having its forward end secured to said rewinding spindle, means rotatlng said bed roller, whereby sald strip Wlll be wound upon said rewinding spindle, means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is being wound and a resistance acting on said spindle carrying said strip whereby said strip Wlll be in tension from said last mentioned spindle to said rewinding spindle. 14. In a damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle carrying said strip mounted on one side of said bed roller,

a rewinding spindle mounted in automatically adjustable bearings above said bed roller whereby said spindle will engage and be frictionally driven from said bed roller, I

said strip passing from its spindle about said bed roller, and having its forward end secured to said rewinding spindle, means rotating said bed roller whereby said strip will be wound upon said rewinding spindle, means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is being so wound, a resistance acting on the spindle carrying said strip, whereby said strip will be in tension from said last mentioned spindle to said rewinding spindle, and a redamping mechanism disposed between said spindle carrying said strip, and said ,bed roller, whereby the strip may be passed from said spindle through said redamping mechanism to said bed roller, if desired.

15. In a damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle carrying said strip mounted on one side of said bed roller, a rewinding spindle mounted in automatically adjustable bearings above said bed roller whereby said spindle will engage and be frictionally driven from said bed roller, saidstrip passing from its spindle about said bed roller, and having its forward end secured to said rewinding spindle, means rotating said bed roller whereby said strip will be wound upon said rewinding spindle, means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is being so wound, a resistance acting on the spindle carrying said strip, whereby said strip will be in tension from said last mentioned spindle to said rewinding spindle, a tank for damping fluid arranged between said first mentioned spindle and said bed roller, a spreading roller mounted so as to be partially submerged in the fluid in said tank, and a presser roller above and bearing upon said spreading roller whereby, if desired, fluid may be applied to said strip and any excess fluid expressed therefrom while said strip is passing through the machine.

16. In a damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle carrying said strip mounted on one side of said bed roller, a" rewinding spindle mounted in automatically adjustable bearings above said bed roller whereby said spindle will engage and be frictionally driven from said bed roller, said strip passing from its spindle about said bed roller, and having its forward end secured to said rewinding spindle, means rotating said bed roller whereby said strip will be wound upon said rewinding spindle, means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is being so wound, a resistance acting on the spindle carrying said strip, whereby said strip will be in tension from said last mentioned spindle to said rewinding spindle, a tank for damping fluid arranged between said first mentioned-spindle and said bed roller, a spreading roller mounted so as to be partially submerged in the fluid in said tank, and a guide roller adjacent to said spreading roller and between itand the spindle carrying the strip.

17-. In a damping machine, the combination of a bed roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle carrying said strip mounted on one side of said bed roller, a rewinding spindle'mounted in automatically adjustable bearings above said bed roller whereby said spindle will engage and be frictionally driven from said bed roller,

said strip passing from its spindle about said bed roller, and having its forward end secured to said rewinding spindle, means rotating said bed roller whereby saidstrip will be wound upon said rewinding spindle, means whereby paper may be fed upon and Wound within said strip as it is being so wound, a resistance acting on the spindle carrying said strip, whereby said strip will be in tension from said last mentioned spindle to said rewinding spindle, a tank for damping fluid arranged between said first mentioned spindle and said roller, a spreading roller mounted so as to be partially submerged in the fluid in said tank, a presser roller above and bearing upon said spreading roller whereby, if desired, fluid may be applied to said strip and any excess fluid expressed therefrom while said strip is passing through the machine, and means where- 'by said presser roller may be adjusted toward and from said spreading roller to regulate the pressure on the strip therefrom.

18. In a damping machine, the combination of a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle upon which said strip in contained, and a redamping mechanism whereby, if desired, moisture may be supplied to said strip as it is passing through the machine. '4

19. In a damping machine, the combination of a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle upon which said strip may be wound, means rotating said spindle, means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is wound upon said spindle, and means automatically feeding sheets of paper within said strip as it is being wound.

20. In a damping machine, the combination of a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle upon which said strip may be wound, means rotating said spindle, means whereby paper may be fed upon and wound within said strip as it is wound upon said spindle, means automatically feeding sheets of paper within said strip as it is -whereby paper may be wound'within said strip as it is wound upon said spindle, means automatically feeding sheets of paper within said strip as it is being wound, means holding said sheets of paper flat and truing same up as they are being fed, and means actuating said last mentioned means whereby said sheets will be permitted to feed at predetermined intervals to insure an equal spacing thereof relative to each other.

22. In a damping machine, the combination of a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle, upon which said strip may be' wound, means rotating said spindle whereby paper may be wound within said strip as it is wound upon said spindle, a feeding shelf, an endless carrier extending from said shelf to a point adjacent 'to said spindle, and means synchronized with the rotation ofsaid spindle, driving said belt whereby sheets of paper are automatically delivered to said strip as it is being wound.

23. In a damping machine, the combination of a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle upon which said strip may be wound, means rotating said spindle whereby paper may be wound within said strip as it is wound upon said spindle, a feeding shelf, an endless carrier extending from said shelf to a pointadjacent to said spindle, means synchronized with the rotation of said spindle, driving said belt whereby sheets of paper are automatically delivered to said strip'as it is being wound, and parallel guides above said belt whereby the sheets of paper are held flat thereon adjacent to the discharge end of said belt.

21-. In a damping machine, the combination of a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle upon which said strip may be Wound, means rotating said spindle whereby paper may be Wound within said strip as it is Wound upon said spindle, a feeding shelf, an endless carrier extending from said shelf to a point adjacent to said spindle, means synchronized with the rotation of said spindle, driving said belt Whereby sheets of paper are automatically delivered to said strip as it is being wound, parallel guides above said belt whereby the sheets of paper are held flat thereon adjacent to the discharge end of said belt, and an oscillating finger bar adjacent to the discharge end of said belt, adapted to contact with said belt, to true up each sheet, and

be raised to automatically release one sheet at a time to space said sheets apart asthey tion of a bed roller, a strip of dampened absorbent material, a spindle mounted above and in frictional engagement with said bed roller, upon which said strip may be wound, means rotating said bed roller whereby said spindle is rotated, and paper may be wound within said strip as it is wound, a feed shelf, an endless carrier belt extending from adjacent to said feed shelf to a point adjacent to said bed roller, a bridge plate extending from a point adjacent to the discharge end of said belt to'a' point adjacent to said bed roller, and driving means for said belt synchronized with the driving means for said bed roller.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 5th day of May, 1909, in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM S. EATON.

Witnesses:

P. V. WENING, P. FRANK SONNEK. 

